Brunsburg

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Brunsburg
Attempted reconstruction of the smaller main castle, moat on the left, the Wölpe on the right

Attempted reconstruction of the smaller main castle, moat on the left , the Wölpe on the right

Creation time : around 800 to 900
Conservation status: Ramparts
Place: Heemsen
Geographical location 52 ° 41 '44.3 "  N , 9 ° 16' 47.8"  E Coordinates: 52 ° 41 '44.3 "  N , 9 ° 16' 47.8"  E
Brunsburg (Lower Saxony)
Brunsburg

The Brunswick Castle is a Wallenburg about a kilometer southeast of Heemsen in Nienburg in the forest area sinners. It is thought to have originated in the early Middle Ages around the 9th century. The former fortification in the form of a smaller main castle and a larger outer castle area was strategically located between two streams in a lowland area. Their earth walls were probably placed in front of vertical wooden trunks to prevent them from entering.

Location and structure

Wall cut into by a forest path

The builders built the ramparts strategically on an elongated ridge of sand that protrudes like a peninsula into the swampy terrain. The firm sand bottom lay in the corner between the Wölpe and another stream. Due to the location, there was only one unprotected side in the southwest. This was secured by a 175 meter long, 20 meter wide and 3 meter high rampart that blocked the entire width of the dry peninsula area. The rampart is around 300 meters southwest of the main castle. With its probably eroded flanks and the two streams, the area of ​​a spacious outer bailey was about 4.5 hectares in size. It has not yet been archaeologically examined. Of the smaller main castle , which is only about 1 hectare in size , there are still two ramparts today; a third is believed to have existed earlier. The ramparts formed an irregular triangle with sides of about 100 meters and 150 meters. They are still 1 to 2 meters high today, but were likely to have been significantly higher in the past.

excavation

Site plan of the Brunsburg by Carl Schuchhardt around 1910, the bulge is later colored blue

In 1905 the Nienburg teacher Heller carried out archaeological investigations in the area of ​​the smaller main castle for the Nienburger Altertumsverein. The excavation revealed only a few indications of the time when the complex was built. The findings indicated that the wall consisted of a wood / earth construction. With this type of construction, the embankment was built from earth and plagues and provided with wooden fixtures to give it the necessary strength. A vertical wall made of wooden logs was probably in front of the wall to prevent attackers from entering. Inside the main castle, the ground plans of several buildings were exposed, the floors of which were made of pebbles.

Interpretation of use

The meager pottery finds suggested that the fortification was built in the early Middle Ages of the 9th century. It was located in an area remote from settlement in the middle of a lowland area like many other facilities of that time. It is possible that the castle was only inhabited temporarily and served the population as a refuge in times of war . According to one theory, it was a refuge for a manorial rule of the Minden bishops on the border with the diocese of Bremen .

Say

According to oral tradition, a Count Bruno sat at the castle who could not hold on and moved to Brunswick ( Braunschweig ). According to another legend, a captain Bruns retired to the castle and buried his war chest there.

literature

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